Stargate Atlantis: Fool's Errand
by the morrighan
Summary: This is the second half of my version of a season six. This is the second story.
1. Chapter 1

Stargate Atlantis: Fool's Errand

"John? John?"

John Sheppard held up his hand, stopping the inquiry. The team had just stepped through the Stargate and everything appeared to be fine. In fact it appeared as if nothing had changed since the last time they had been here, four years ago. The village was a short walk away and bustling with activity. Warm winds blew, causing the flowing fields to sway as the harvest was being gathered by a crew of workers. Scythes and blades glinted in the warm air. Horses were pulling carts along, plowing and trampling the dirt underneath their hooves.

In the distance stood the tower, or what could be seen of the Ancient city. Most of it was underground, buried and forgotten after thousands of years and possibly inaccessible. Red banners flapped in the wind smartly, proclaiming authority and government.

"Well, I would have thought they'd at least develop roads," John remarked as they began to stroll towards the village. Dirt clouds scuffed along his boots.

"Or democracy," Rodney McKay said. "Half of these people have the ATA gene now. So why hasn't anything changed?" He glanced behind him to see Jason Reynolds and his team of marines following, taking up flanking positions. He wondered at the extra team of military men and eyed John, but John hadn't revealed his reasons to anyone.

It made Rodney nervous, this show of excessive force on a supposedly friendly planet.

"Perhaps it is easier for them to keep their old form of governance, but with modifications," Teyla Emmagan suggested. She eyed the people as they worked. All appeared healthier than the last time, not as downtrodden or as fearful. She spotted tower soldiers among the populace, not threatening the workers but helping them.

She glanced behind her at the following marines. She wished she felt the same comfort, but something was bothering her and she couldn't quite relax.

"We have company," Ronon Dex noted. He hadn't drawn his gun, not yet, but it was in easy reach. The additional marines didn't faze him at all; in fact he welcomed the back-up should it prove necessary. He was sure that John had excellent reasons for the added firepower.

The fact that he didn't disclose them was a bit troubling, however.

The team paused, watching as a group of men approached. They were tower guards, all clad in black with red insignia across their chests. Their weapons were lowered but they eyed the visitors with suspicion.

"Hi," John said.

"Do you remember us?" Rodney asked.

"We visited you years ago," Teyla reminded.

"Yes." One held up a scanner, running it over the team. "Yes…you are the ones who freed us from the tyranny of the Lord Protector and his clan. You gave us the magic shot to enable peasants to join our council and run the villages."

"Something like that," John commented, glancing at his team. He glanced at Jason and the marines, giving them a curt nod. He looked back at the soldiers. "We need to—"

"The Queen has seen you and recognized you. She wishes to see you. This way."

"The Queen?" Rodney asked. "I guess some things don't change," he grumbled.

"What is it with these queens?" John muttered. "We'd be delighted. Lead on," he gestured.

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The room looked the same, exactly the same, even down to the crimson and gold banners on the walls. The sumptuous setting was just as medieval and just as overdone as it had been years ago. The two teams stood staring round in surprise, in shock. It was as if time had stood still on this planet, despite the advances Atlantis had encouraged and the addition of giving them the gene therapy. It should have broken the lock the royal family had on the rest of the population.

It appeared to have made not much of a difference to their society.

John strode to the Ancient Chair which they were still using as a throne. A beautiful woman was sitting there, clad in pale blue silk. Golden ringlets fell from her bound hair around a still youthful face. She smiled and moved to her feet, stepping to meet him, hands extended towards him in greeting. Her red lips formed a smile as her blue eyes caressed him. "John! John, how wonderful to see you again!"

John took her proffered hands, gently squeezed and gave her a dazzlingly smile. "Yeah, likewise…"

"Mara," she gently reminded, pouting slightly.

"Of course, Mara," he agreed. He had forgotten her name until she had said it. Mara. It was close to Moira, but not quite the same and the two women could not have been more dissimilar. Mara was beautiful, blond and younger and as far from a scientist as one could possibly get. He smirked at the comparison but schooled his expression, smoothly resuming. "I thought you were going to do away with this whole medieval charade," he chastised.

"What? Oh, well, yes. The peasants, I mean our people are citizens now, and those that share the royal bloodline are here to aid in the protection and running of our planet."

"This is just like Atlantis! Except for the décor, of course," Rodney noted, staring round and John remembered it was the physicist's first time in this part of the city. "Not to mention the anarchic furnishings and the antiquated use of Ancient technology! I mean look at this!" He moved to a long banquet table under which was a console. He shook his head. "This is, I mean was a control panel of some sort, probably to some secondary systems now defunct! And now it's a buffet table!" Nevertheless he grabbed a sweet roll from a tray. "What?" he asked round a mouthful.

"Of course you are all welcome to stay as our guests and we—"

"First we need to explore your city," John stated. "We need to examine the catacombs. We need a power comparison to our own city, you see, and I knew you would help us. In return I'm sure there is something I can do for you." He smiled, tilting his head and slightly adjusting the stance of his body. He couldn't have been any more obvious if he had said the words.

"Here we go," Ronon muttered with amusement, as Teyla rolled her eyes. Rodney was too busy eating to notice or else he would have voiced a louder comment.

"Of course, John. You shall have whatever you need…if you can help me with some things." She took his arm, voice lowering. "The truth is that even with the magic shot we are having trouble with the tower and its screen of power. Even the throne is not as strong as it once was. No one has as strong a touch as you do."

"Ah. I can help with that, and give you all the power you need to keep the city and your people in check," John said, answering to what she really wanted from him. He played along with a smile. "You need a firmer hand on the reins, like before and I can provide that. Can someone show my scientists to the catacombs while we negotiate?"

"Of course!" She turned, waved a slender hand. "Juergon, show them to the catacombs and give them whatever they need!"

"I obey, your highness. This way."

"Huh?" Rodney turned, wiping his hands on his pants to see a man gesturing. He looked at John, sighed. "Fine. Why do I always get the gangly male guide while he gets the beautiful woman?"

"Do I really need to answer that?" Ronon quipped with a grin.

"All of you go with Rodney. Radio me when you get there and power the systems for a status check," John ordered. "You know what we are looking for and I expect an analysis in fifteen." He glanced at Jason. The marines moved to stand near the Ancient Chair, taking up positions around it like some royal guard. "Shall we?" He began to lead Mara towards the stairs. "You need a stronger hand, is that it?"

"Yes, John, that's it exactly!" she enthused, blue eyes shining as she smiled at the handsome military commander. Remembered pleasures danced in her gaze.

John let them. He remembered how she had tried to manipulate him. Manipulating her would be a piece of cake now, and John thoroughly intended to get what he came for, taking what he wanted, and enjoying his own slice of cake at the same time.

Turnabout was fair play, after all.

Teyla watched the marines until she looked back at John but he was ascending the stairs with Mara. Her arm was linked with his and they were talking amiably, like old friends. Teyla frowned, wanting to question John or even Jason but instead she followed after Ronon and Rodney to the bowels of the city.

Something wasn't right and she fully intended to find out what it was.


	2. Chapter 2

Stargate Atlantis: Fool's Errand2

Rodney was shaking his head. He was standing at a dilapidated console that was sluggishly responding to his fingers as he activated switches and kept checking his monitor. He brushed past Teyla to check a monitor, wiping the dust from the screen to view the sporadic scrolling of data as he brought up the map of the city. He ran a diagnostic and bent under the console to yank a panel open and rearranged some crystals, muttering to himself.

Teyla stepped out of the shadows and moved towards him. "There are not many Drones in storage. There may be enough to defend the planet should the Wraith attack, but we dare not take any of them."

"It wouldn't make a difference," Rodney stated, moving to his feet and checking his data pad again. "It's even worse than the last time we were here. I'm detecting serious power depletions and the systems are all but degraded. Secondary systems are completely off-line and even if I could get them running the ZPMs are almost depleted."

"Can you get the city to fly?" Ronon asked.

Rodney snorted at the question. "Are you kidding me? I won't be able to get the lights on much less raise the city from the ground! For one thing we are buried under God knows how many tons of rock and dirt and rubble. For another look at this!" He pointed to the screen. "A full quadrant of the city is destroyed! It's been pulverized by some natural event, probably an earthquake or just the weight of the earth above it. When the shield gave way the whole section was buried and destroyed. We can't fly a ship with half of its systems destroyed! This ship is going nowhere! John will not be very happy about this! Where the hell is he anyway?"

"Negotiating," Ronon remarked with a grin.

Rodney snorted again. "Don't remind me! And look at this!" Rodney moved to another console where power flickered intermittently. "What little they do have they will lose in five years unless they conserve the power they still have! I don't know what these people have been doing but they need to stop it now or they will lose all use of this city!"

"Do you have access to the star drives?" Teyla asked, eying the console.

"No! I mean yes, I do, but it doesn't work! There's no power, not enough to charge it up and raise the city! Not even John could do it, not even with his mojo. With that ruined section it would be like a bird flying with one wing. If we were able to get off the ground and out of it we would just crash and burn, believe me. I will run a few simulations but they won't change a thing!" He tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard! Sheppard, do you copy?"

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"McKay, report," John said as he stood in a private chamber. He was quickly fixing his clothes, zipping up his pants and adjusting the rest of his attire, pausing only to tap his earpiece as the irascible voice invaded his hearing.

"City's defunct. Come and take a look for yourself. There won't be a test run."

"You can't get her to fly?"

"Not even close. One quadrant is destroyed and the ZPMS are at minimal output. The—"

"Drones?"

"Yes, some, but not enough to—"

"Secure them. Get me a full schematic and run another simulation to—"

"It's pointless, John! I just told you the city is—"

"On my way. Sheppard out." He softly swore, disappointed, but it really didn't change his plans, only altered them. He tapped his earpiece again. "Reynolds, disengage."

"Acknowledged, sir," Jason's voice crisply replied.

"John? Is there a problem? You, you're not leaving, are you?"

John turned to view the lovely naked woman sprawled on the red satin sheets of the bed. He shrugged. "I am leaving. I'm taking your Drones. Your city is useless, apparently but I will take what I need to defend mine." He buckled his belt, his holster with his gun. The sex had been adequate, satisfactory, a mere means to an end and nothing more.

A pleasant interlude before he engaged in more serious matters.

"What?" She sat up, holding a sheet over her nakedness. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise. "You, you said you would stay! You said you would help me rule this kingdom and with your stronger blood line we could restore the tower!"

"I said that? Oh yeah, maybe I did. It doesn't work like that, doll. Remember how you used me and my so-called bloodline? Well, I just used you, and there's no way you're getting my so-called bloodline." He headed for the door.

"What? You, you said you would stay! You, you said you loved me!" she whined, close to tears and appearing much younger than she was.

John felt a twinge of remorse, but quelled it. He turned to her, gaze narrowing in almost contempt. "Did I? Oh yeah, I guess I did. I lied."

He made sure to grab the used condom from the floor before he left.

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"Is there anything of value here?" Teyla asked. "If we can make fair trade perhaps they could give us something, at least."

"I doubt it. It's a waste of time, I'm telling you." Rodney shrugged. "Even if I boosted the power with one of our own ZPMS the star drives will not even initiate much less fly. All that they've got is a few Drones, a partially functioning ZPM and the Control Chair. This city is permanently grounded and will be defunct in five years, maybe less."

"What about the simulation?" John asked, joining them. Teyla eyed him. There was a slight swagger to his stride, a smile on his face that was more disturbing than reassuring.

"Finish negotiating with the queen?" Ronon asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," John noted mildly.

"She won't fly." Rodney's statement was definitive.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Rodney flared, glancing at his friend. He glanced again. "There's barely enough power left in the ZPMs to lift off much less fly! And yes, I ran several simulations and ran a diagnostic and you can see how the fourth quadrant is destroyed!"

John stepped to him, eying each screen and the data pad. "I see. Well, we can salvage. Secure the Drones and let's go."

"What? No, John. There are barely enough left to defend the planet. We cannot take them," Teyla asserted, stance defiant.

John ignored her. "Did you say this place would be defunct in five years?"

"Yes, probably less if they keep consuming power at this rate. But Teyla's right. They will need what little they have, those few Drones because the Chair is still active and should be running for that length of time. I can shut off any other power drains and maybe find a way for them to conserve energy to prolong the—"

"No. We are taking the Drones. All of them. We need them."

"No! John, we are not taking anything! Perhaps we can secure a few Drones in fair trade, but certainly not all of them! Just because these people have not been able to maintain this city it does not give you the right to take what is theirs."

"It was never theirs, was it? We need it, we're taking it. Besides, this city is all but useless, or will be soon, right, Rodney?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't mean we should harvest it like a—"

"We're taking the Drones!" John ordered curtly. Already Ronon was moving towards the room where they were stored.

"The Chair will be all but useless without the Drones!" Teyla challenged.

John turned to her. He smiled. It was a cold smile, a smile more of arrogance than of humor. "I know. But don't worry. We're taking the Chair as well."


	3. Chapter 3

Stargate Atlantis: Fool's Errand3

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

John eyed his friends as they echoed each other. Their expressions were nearly identical, full of surprise and shock and disbelief. He shrugged, turned and without a word headed back up to the main chamber of the tower. He heard them following, voices joined in argument and astonishment. He briefly smiled, but headed towards the Ancient Chair. Jason was on his knees near it, along with the marines as they attached suspensor lifts along the base. "Will it work?"

"Yes sir. I just need to pry it loose from the floor here. It's bolted down," Jason explained. He glanced round at the people watching, staring. "We encountered some resistance but it wasn't a problem," he said quietly. His P90 was on the floor, in reach, just in case. The other marines were holding their weapons casually but the threat was obvious.

"There won't be," John assured quietly. He turned to view the spectators. "We're just borrowing it. Don't worry, I have arranged everything with Mara, er, Queen Mara."

"Whoa, whoa, do you know what you're doing?" Rodney rushed to the Chair and shoved a marine out of the way. "Careful there! Don't attach anything to the control panel or it will be useless! These lifts should work but they have to be synchronized…actually that's a very good idea. Who thought of this?"

"I did, Doctor McKay. I majored in engineering," Jason replied.

Rodney glanced at the blond man. "I see. Well, there's hope for you yet, major. Let me get these synchronized and adjusted as you pry up those bolts. You disconnected the main power conduit, of course?"

"Of course, Doctor McKay. That was the first thing I did."

"Good, good. We don't want to blow it up before we move it. Although it should be inactive since no one is sitting in it. All of the secondary systems are pretty much defunct in the catacombs and with a quadrant destroyed there won't be much in the way of residual programming to prevent the Chair from being moved." He checked the panel, the crystals. "Let me take a reading just to be sure before you do anything else!"

"Yes, Doctor McKay," Jason said with a sigh.

"John, you cannot do this! I will not allow it!" Teyla strode towards the military commander, furious. If looks could kill John would have been a dead man. "You cannot take their only means of defense against the Wraith!"

John turned to her, not surprised at who his most adamant adversary was. Rodney was too distracted by the Chair and Ronon didn't seem to give a damn either way. "We are just borrowing it. Once the fuglies are defeated we will return it."

"And in the meantime? What if the Wraith attack?" she persisted, hands on her hips. Although smaller and shorter than the military commander she was not cowed at all.

"They won't." He looked past her. The Satedan was watching the swarm of activity around the Chair, yet he was also keeping an eye on the courtiers and soldiers. "Ronon, take Wilcox and Jordan here and load up those Drones. Go on," he gestured towards the two marines who promptly moved to follow Ronon out of the chamber.

"John! How do you know this?" Teyla argued, not about to be ignored. She stood in front of him as if planted there.

John met her irate gaze. "The Wraith are too busy eluding the fuglies to attack or to even cull a planet at the moment. So yes, the threat is minimal. We are taking, I mean borrowing the Chair and we shall return it. It's almost depleted anyway, right Rodney?" The physicist waved off the question, too busy calibrating to answer. "It will be useless to them sooner rather than later."

"I cannot believe that Mr. Woolsey consented to this. You are behaving as if you were an Ancient! You have no more right to this technology than anyone else! You cannot take what is not yours!"

"John? John, John, what's happening?" Mara rushed down the stairs. Her gown was wrinkled, her hair a blond cloud messily spilling to her shoulders. She appeared as surprised as her courtiers seeing the activity around the Chair. She paused, staring ardently at the man with whom she had been intimate recently. A blush came and went on her lovely face.

"Part of the agreement," he said dismissively over his shoulder. "We'll return it once we're done using it."

"I do not believe you," Teyla said, staring at a man she could hardly recognize.

John met her gaze. His green eyes were serious, stern. There was a coldness there that Teyla had only glimpsed from time to time. "Believe what you will, it's of no concern to me. Beckett and I can use both Chairs simultaneously with the added Drones to defend Atlantis. It's a back-up plan in case the Daedalus gets here too late. First though, we will need another ZPM."

"Yes, you will. This won't work for any prolonged period of time unless we do find a fully loaded ZPM," Rodney agreed. He stood, circling the chair as Jason began to pry up the bolts one by one. "The Chair is a pretty self-contained unit requiring only an additional power source and access to the where the Drones are stored. It's not attached to the city by any means except through those power sources. I might be able to hook up a naquadah enhanced generator, though in the meantime, at least during installation…" Already his mind was racing ahead to the challenge, seemingly forgetting any moral qualms.

"You are taking my throne!" Mara protested, finally able to get a word in.

John glanced at her. "You can get another throne. Better yet why not hold an election and see if someone else wants to be king."

"But you said you would stay! You said you would stay here with me to rule and together we could—"

"This arrangement has proven adequate, for now. There's nothing here to entice me to stay, now is there? I can find adequate arrangements all over the galaxy. There's nothing special here." He couldn't have been blunter if he had tried. He stepped to the Chair as Mara's eyes filled with tears. "Let's get this up and moving now! Ronon, how are those Drones coming?"

"Third load is on the way," Ronon replied, carrying a few with the two marines behind him. The odd yellow squid-like weapons were inert and fairly easy to carry despite the deadly ways in which they could be utilized.

"Ready to go. Stand back." Rodney took the controls from Jason, but he hesitated. "Um, John, are you sure about this? I mean this is their only means of defense should the Wraith come this way, and although power levels are dropping it is still better than nothing and since we don't have a spare ZPM to power the thing it's really just a useless piece of furniture until we—"

"Major Reynolds, get this baby moving, would you?" John ordered.

"Yes sir!" He took the control from Rodney and activated it. There was a shudder. With a whining groan the Chair lifted free of the floor. Tiles cracked and the people gasped, backing away in shock and fear.

The lights flickered and a screen activated, then faded to nothing. An alarm weakly blared for a moment. There was another shudder, as if what was left of the city was trying to rouse itself but was unable to defend against this new threat. The walls shook and a sparks showered out of the hole in the floor.

The courtiers stared in wonder as the Chair floated above the floor as if by magic.

"Take her to the 'Gate. Dawson, Phillips, help the others get the rest of the Drones." John watched as Jason and Rodney walked alongside the Chair, monitoring its silent progress as if they were escorting a float in a parade. He turned, hearing a noise. Some of the soldiers were breaking free of their shock to gather weapons, merely swords and daggers and nothing serious. Nevertheless John drew his gun, holding it at his side. "I wouldn't. I really wouldn't," he advised and threatened at the same time. "We're just borrowing it."

"John, please!" Mara moved to him, caught his arm. Tears were swimming in her blue eyes. "I thought, I thought I, I meant something to you. You said you would stay! You said you would help me rule. You, you said you said you said—" she blubbered.

"You've been more than adequately compensated, doll. You'll get your Chair back once I am finished with it. Let's go! Teyla! Teyla, let's head out!"

Teyla was frozen in place. She watched as John freed his arm, not too gently and strode after the floating Chair. She could only watch as Mara broke into tears, and fled up the stairs, as if she was a teenage girl who had just had her heart broken by a callous man, which in fact she had. Teyla wanted to apologize to the stunned spectators, but she didn't know what to say. She followed after her team members, trying to rationalize actions that she couldn't rationalize.

Trying to understand a man she thought she knew.


	4. Chapter 4

Stargate Atlantis: Fool's Errand4

"I can't say I quite agree with your tactics, colonel, but well done." Richard Woolsey stood, arms crossed over his chest as he stood with John in the lower levels of the city. Two tech teams were swarming over the Ancient Chairs, connecting them and securing the new one near the old one. In the midst of the chaos stood Rodney, waving his data pad like a baton in some mad orchestration of movement and melody. He was barking orders like a general, clearly in his element and enjoying himself.

"It was a little awkward but we will return it once it has served its purpose here." John was watching the swarm of workers until he glanced over at Carson Beckett. The doctor appeared nervous as he stared at the second Chair he would soon be activating. Despite his natural affinity with the Ancient technology he was still uncomfortable with the more military aspects.

"Will they work in concert?" Richard asked.

"Yes. Once the new one is installed we can run a simulation and get them activated. I can tell the city to recognize it and they should work together, like Carson and I can work together. The problem is we need a fully charged ZPM to operate them both at full capacity."

"I told you that!" Rodney barked from the crowd of technicians.

"I don't suppose you know where we could find one, do you? Maybe in that lost city of yours?"

"Maybe," John mused. He clasped his hands behind his back, moving from foot to foot as he impatiently waited. "Any updates?"

"None. The ships are still too far away for identification or contact. There's been no movement from the new species. We've had no further contact form the Wraith or the Coalition. Yes," he said to John's glance of surprise, "I put out a few feelers to gauge their reaction and to see if they have reconsidered our proposals. So far, nothing."

"I think we are going alone to this dance," John said dourly.

"I fear you may be right," Richard reluctantly agreed.

"Done!" Rodney waved his arms, shooing away the technicians. "Okay. John, I think you should be in our Chair to guide the process and talk to the city or whatever it is you do. Carson, get into the new one."

"Are you sure about this, Rodney? I mean I don't want to set off a Dart or—" Carson nervously objected.

"You'll be fine, doc. They are inert. Let's get this done." John strolled to the Chair and sat on it. Instantly it reclined, adjusting to him. He rested his palms on the arm pads. "Carson!"

"Och, I've got a bloody bad feeling about this," the doctor muttered. Nevertheless he moved to the second Chair and gingerly sat on it. It reclined obediently, but did not power up as quickly as the first Chair had. "See?" He was about to get off the Chair when a look from Rodney made him settle back.

"Give it a moment. I'm boosting power now, just enough to get them in sync for a simulation. John, you're in control." Rodney was eying his keyboard.

"I know." John closed his eyes, concentrating. The city enfolded him, welcoming him back. It purred under his touch, his return, but had questions, so many questions about this new Chair and where it had come from and why it was here. John relaxed, letting the strange interface of mind and machine flow through him, around him. He sent soothing thoughts as he explained about the desolate city, the decrepit conditions and how he had rescued the Chair and the Drones in order to save Atlantis when the time came, if it should come.

Together they mourned the loss of yet another sister city at the hands of the inept and primitive inhabitants of that planet.

Carson had closed his eyes as the power began to hum. Blue lights danced along his eyelids and he felt the strange connection as well. He tried to remain calm, not thinking of anything like Drones or firing weapons or how nervous he was or how this Chair was capable of such destruction. The city sent soothing vibrations to him, as if to reassure him that all was well.

Rodney was closely monitoring the power levels as they slowly rose and rose. His gaze jumped from one data pad to another as he brought both Chairs online and linked them to work together from the shared store of Drones. "Forty percent. Forty-two percent. Fifty-five percent," he muttered as so far it was working.

"What happens when it reaches one hundred percent?" Richard asked.

"Either we hit critical mass or they will be in perfect sync and lose power because we don't have the ZPMs we need to maintain them."

"What?" Carson's eyes flew open and the power surged.

"Whoa, whoa, it was a joke, Carson! Calm down! Power is spiking!"

"I've got it. Easy, baby," John mumbled, fingers grasping the pads on the armrests. He concentrated, brow furrowing. He could feel beads of sweat as he brought the power levels back down to more acceptable levels.

"We could have burned out the generator, Carson!" Rodney scolded.

"It wasn't a very funny joke, Rodney!" Carson retorted, relaxing. John seemed to have everything under control. He closed his eyes and restored the connection to the city. "There now, my lady…that is much better," he mumbled. Although far from any windows he could hear the ocean and the gentle murmur of the waters soothed him.

Rodney looked at Carson, then John. He glanced at Richard but the expedition leader apparently hadn't heard the odd words from either man. Rodney shook his head, looking back at his screens. "Seventy-five, eighty-six, ninety-two…one hundred and there!" The power flared, only to abruptly drop. "Done. They are in sync and ready to go…apart from needing a fully loaded ZPM to power them, that is. If not for that little flaw we could take on the universe."

"Ha ha," John noted. He opened his eyes. Carson was already bounding out of the Chair, as if he couldn't get away fast enough. John smirked. The Chair straightened and he moved to his feet, wiped his brow. Stray beads of sweat lined his forehead. "So it will work?"

"Yes, if we can find a fully charged ZPM. How many times do I have to say it?" Rodney snapped. "I mean, really, John, this plan of yours hinges on finding a ZPM and what are the odds we can do that?"

"What's the worse case scenario?" Richard asked.

"It doesn't work. Or it will only work for one time, one set of Drones and then it will be useless. Frankly I think we shouldn't have bothered with it. What are the odds we will find a fully charged ZPM out here?" Rodney repeated. "We've been looking for years and so far we have come up with nada, zip, nothing, zero, goose egg—"

"We get it, Rodney," John interrupted. "You just gotta have faith."

"Faith? In what? This mythical city you somehow discovered when no one else could?" Rodney asked, irritated. John's increasing ease with the systems was both alarming and intriguing. "What are the odds that it even exists? That we can even get to it? That will be functional? That it will have fully charged ZPMs? Stealing a Chair is one thing, but stealing a whole city?"

"Requisitioning," John corrected with a frown. This tirade was seemingly coming out of nowhere and John didn't have time for another emotional objection. "And we will return it when—"

"Of course we won't," Rodney stated. "You know it and I know it so why sugarcoat it?"

"Rodney! We will return it when we don't need it anymore!" John insisted, but he knew as well as Rodney did that the odds were they would keep both Chairs.

"Of course we will," Richard said, but he wondered as he eyed the two men.

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"I have never seen him behave in such a manner…not quite like this." Teyla was sitting with Ann Teldy in a quiet corner of the cafeteria. The two women were sequestered from the rest, enjoying a rare moment's peace and a hot cup of tea as the evening progressed.

"That doesn't sound like John," Ann agreed, frowning.

Teyla sighed. "No, it does not. There have been other things too…things I could discount or explain by the stress of his job or an injury. But this…I know he believes he is doing the right thing for us, for Atlantis. He believes the new aliens are a viable threat, a serious one and we are isolated out here."

"That still doesn't condone taking Ancient tech from other planets and leaving the populations without defense," Ann agreed. She sipped her tea. "What else happened on that planet?"

Teyla sipped hers, hesitating. It wasn't her place to talk about John's other misdeeds. Although she had no proof she suspected what he had been doing along with all that negotiating. "John seems to have developed a sense of entitlement when it comes to Ancient technology. Perhaps you should have a word with him. He might listen to you more than he is listening to me."

"I doubt that, but I will try," Ann said with a smile. "He can be awfully stubborn, you know."

"I know. Stubbornness is one thing. Callousness is quite another," she noted quietly.

The two women sipped their tea, both worrying about the same man.


	5. Chapter 5

Stargate Atlantis: Fool's Errand5

Rodney looked round the physics lab, but he was quite, quite alone. Nevertheless he scanned the entire area twice before turning back to the computer. He touched the console and power automatically was initiated. He quickly typed, frowning as he entered his search parameters. The cursor blinked at him. He blinked back. "Come on, come on!" he complained.

He looked round once more, feeling ridiculous as he began to speak to the machine. "Um, come on, um, honey? Come on, honey and give me what I need. You know you want to give it to me? You know…oh this is ridiculous!" he flared, looking round again. But he couldn't deny what he had heard and seen. How somehow the way that both John and Carson were talking to the city was getting them results. He knew they had a stronger connection than he did, but still it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

As long as no one else was around it was worth a try.

The physicist sighed, attempting to hack into older files. He wanted to go deeper into the system. If John could do it why couldn't a brilliant scientist such as himself? "Come on, er, honey…if there's a list of planets with cities on them you might have a list of possible ZPM caches, right? It's only logical to have a fallback position on those, right? Come on, honey, um, darling, give me what I need. Please?"

"Should I leave you two alone?"

Rodney swore, whirling in his chair, actually blushing as he moved to his feet to see Radek Zelenka approaching. The Czech was trying not to laugh. "What? No! I was just…it was an experiment, that's all, a scientific experiment!"

"I see. An experiment for what, exactly? How to woo a machine?"

"No! Yes! No! Look, I know it's crazy but it works for John and Carson so I thought I would give it a try!" Rodney flared, embarrassed. "What the hell are you doing down here anyway?"

"This is a physics lab, yes? I am a physicist." He moved to his work station, chuckling. "Looks like you're not her type."

"Huh?" Rodney eyed his screen. It was still blank. "Damn," he muttered.

"Maybe you should try bringing it roses next time?"

"What? Oh shut up!"

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Carson rubbed his eyes, rubbed them again. He sat back, viewing the windows of data on the screen. Slowly he was unearthing facts about the ATA gene. It was slow-going as the medical files were numerous and scattered. He made a few notes on a pad of paper next to him, eschewing the more modern data pad for a more tactile method of transcription. He pondered his access to the data. So far he had encountered none of the strange effects that John had. He did not have a headache, nor had he run into any resistance yet.

He wondered if it was because his ATA was not as strong as John's, or if it was because he was a Clone and not the original Carson Beckett.

"Still working?"

He turned in his chair, smiled as Alison Porter joined him. She set a cup of tea next to his pad of paper as she took the seat next to him. "Aye, love, I am. There are reams of data but finding what I need is proving to be quite time-consuming."

"Can I help? Another set of eyes might improve your time consumption," she offered with a smile.

"Thank you, Alison. That would be lovely. I am trying to find all that I can about the ATA gene. In particular how the Ancients engineered it to interact with the city."

Alison set her cup of tea aside. "That has always puzzled me too, Carson. The level of sophistication to achieve that kind of interface…it's beyond us."

"Yes, it is, which is why I would like to know more about it. John's been getting headaches when he becomes immersed in the system and I want to make certain that nothing worse befalls him."

"Has anything befallen you?" she asked, touching his hand in worry.

Carson smiled. "No. I'm fine. It's strange, isn't it? A city designed specifically for people who happen to have one particular gene. And as far as I can tell the gene is totally random. I don't know if it can be bred through a certain bloodline, and we can manufacture it, of course, but still it does leave quite a lot up to chance."

"Yes. It doesn't make any sense, does it?" she agreed, shrugging.

"If the answer is in here I will find it," he said, serious. He looked back at the screen, seemingly forgetting about his companion.

"You mean we will find it," she corrected softly.

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Ronon groaned as he took off one boot, then the other. He sat, arms resting on his knees as he looked round his room. The room he now shared with Amelia Banks-Dex. He smiled as he felt her behind him, as her hands plied his bare back and sore muscles. "Thanks."

Amelia kissed his shoulder. "If you're going to carry every Drone to the storage area you should expect to be sore," she chided. "I can't believe Colonel Sheppard took their Ancient Chair as well. Even if we are only borrowing it, still…"

"He knows what he's doing. If those, those things come here we will need everything we've got to defeat them. If we lose Atlantis the whole galaxy will fall."

"I know that. It's just…I don't know." Amelia sighed. "Doesn't it seem out of character for him?"

"No. He's taking command, like he has been for years. I know firsthand how ruthless those things are, Amelia. We can't be caught unprepared." He shoved the memory of those horrible aliens out of his mind.

"And we won't be. We have our own defenses and the Daedalus is on its way. I just hope that Colonel Sheppard doesn't step on too many toes to get what he thinks we need."

"He'll do what he must to keep us safe and alive, the same as I will." He looked over his shoulder at his wife. "If we make a few more enemies it's better than ending up defeated by those, those things." He grimly eyed his hands as Amelia massaged his shoulders.

He would rather die than fight those things face to face again.

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John sat in the empty bio lab. He felt drained. He hadn't been able to sleep, tossing and turning until finally he got out of his bed, leaving Ann sleeping soundly. He wandered the halls of Atlantis. His footsteps had led him back here like they always did when he had too much on his mind. He accessed the files again, trying to find out more about the planet and the city he had discovered. He tried to dig deeper but he ran into different encryptions now. He ran his fingers off the keyboard and along a panel, stroking the crystals there as if stroking a woman's skin. It was a more intimate connection to the city and he concentrated, driving his mind into the interface of man and machine.

The screen yielded nothing.

John frowned, grunting. He freed the crystals to touch the monitor. "Come on, baby, just give me some intel before I go there. You must have some records about it," he cajoled carefully, not wanting to initiate yet another headache. He tried to concentrate but he was tired and distracted. He sighed, slapping the keys angrily and turning away from the monitor to view the dark, empty lab. For good measure he gave the panel a kick.

There were no answers here. No solace. There was nothing here for him now.

He thought about his actions, finding no fault with what he had done. The confiscation of the Drones and the Ancient Chair were necessary for the defense of Atlantis. His other actions were equally necessary, albeit for different reasons, and he didn't feel guilty. He hadn't felt guilty at all as he had gone to bed with his girlfriend.

He wondered if Moira would understand. He decided that of course she would.

He rubbed his temple where a dull ache was forming. "Damn it, baby, not again! Just give me the damn intel! At least give me a name!" He glared at the screen, stared. A word was on the monitor. There was nothing else, just a word that John tried to sound out. It was oddly familiar but he couldn't quite place it. He knew it was Irish, however.

_Tir na nOg._

He quickly copied it down as the screen abruptly went dark and the lights flickered ominously.

He would have to ask Moira about it. She would know what it was, what it meant.

As he tried to sound out the word in his mind he pillowed his head on his arms as he rested them on the desk. He was tired, so tired. He knew he should get up and go back to bed. It would be much more comfortable than slouching over the desk like this. A breeze tickled the back of his neck and he shifted on the chair.

He closed his eyes, mumbling the name he had seen, trying to pronounce it. Moira would know how to pronounce it. He would have to ask Moira about it.

He would have to ask Moira.

He would have to ask.

He would have…


End file.
